Microsoft is considering additional uses outside of gaming for its Kinect motion tracking technology, including the potential as a home security camera and for tracking facial expressions on TV viewers.

Microsoft is considering additional uses outside of gaming for its Kinect motion tracking technology, including the potential as a home security camera and for tracking facial expressions on TV viewers.

The company is reputedly in the early stages of developing ideas for alternative uses of the device, according to anonymous sources cited by Game Zone.

One of the biggest potential areas of expansion is home security. Traditional cameras are already doing that job quite well, when they're not being accessed by hackers, so it's not clear what the Kinect will add to the table. It may be that the Kinect will sense intruders and pivot its camera so that it is constantly following and recording their activities.

Facial recognition is another area that the company is allegedly exploring, both for games and TV. We can see the potential applications in games, including some party style games that require players to make various expressions towards the camera. An acting training simulator is another possibility.

As for TV, Microsoft might be looking at seeing how people react to shows and ads, but this may be too much of an invasion of privacy. Users are unlikely to want to be test subjects for marketing campaigns, unless there is some kind of reward as an incentive. It could perhaps be introduced to cinemas or other venues than users' homes, but privacy will remain a big stumbling block to any implementation of this idea.